Decision 1629/QD-TTg 2023 approve Master Plan of Ba Ria-Vung Tau province for the 2021-2030 period

DECISION

Approving the Master Plan of Ba Ria-Vung Tau province for the 2021-2030 period, with a vision toward 2050^[1]

THE PRIME MINISTER

Pursuant to the June 19, 2015 Law on Organization of the Government; and the November 22, 2019 Law Amending and Supplementing a Number of Articles of the Law on Organization of the Government and the Law on Organization of Local Administration;

Pursuant to the November 24, 2017 Planning Law;

Pursuant to the June 15, 2018 Law Amending and Supplementing a Number of Articles of Eleven Laws concerning Planning; and the November 20, 2018 Law Amending and Supplementing a Number of Articles of Thirty-Seven Laws concerning Planning;

Pursuant to the National Assembly’s Resolution No. 61/2022/QH15 of June 16, 2022, on further improving the effectiveness and efficiency of the implementation of planning policies and laws and a number of solutions to tackle difficulties and obstacles, accelerate the formulation and improve the quality of master plans for the 2021-2030 period;

Pursuant to the National Assembly’s Resolution No. 81/2023/QH15 of January 9, 2023, on the National Overall Master Plan for the 2021-2030 period, with a vision toward 2050;

Pursuant to the Government’s Decree No. 37/2019/ND-CP of May 7, 2019, detailing the implementation of a number of articles of the Planning Law; and the Government’s Decree No. 58/2023/ND-CP of August 12, 2023, amending and supplementing a number of articles of the Government’s Decree No. 37/2019/ND-CP of May 7, 2019, detailing the implementation of a number of articles of the Planning Law;

Pursuant to the Government’s Resolution No. 110/NQ-CP of December 2, 2019, promulgating the List of master plans incorporated in national master plans, regional mater plans or provincial master plans under Point c, Clause 1, Article 59 of the Planning Law;

Pursuant to the Government’s Resolution No. 54/NQ-CP of November 23, 2022, promulgating the Program of Action to implement the Political Bureau’s Resolution No. 24-NQ/TW of October 7, 2022, on socio-economic development and national defense and security assurance for the southeastern region through 2030, with a vision toward 2045;

Pursuant to the Prime Minister’s Decision No. 1442/QD-TTg of September 23, 2020, approving the task of formulating the Master Plan of Ba Ria-Vung Tau province for the 2021-2030 period, with a vision toward 2050;

At the proposal of the People’s Committee of Ba Ria-Vung Tau province in Report No. 197/TTr-UBND of August 7, 2023, and Report No. 282/TTr-UBND of November 8, 2023, on approval of the Master Plan of Ba Ria-Vung Tau province for the 2021-2030 period, with a vision toward 2050; and Official Letter No. 15437/UBND-VP of November 8, 2023, and Official Letter No. 17258/UBND-CP of December 7, 2023, of the People Committee of Ba Ria-Vung Tau province, on explanations about, and assimilation of, opinions; opinions of the Council for Approval of Provincial Master Plans in Official Letter No. 4439/CV-HDTD of June 12, 2023; and opinions of the Ministry of Planning and Investment in Official Letter No. 7692/BKHDT-QLQH of September 18, 2023, and Official Letter No. 9837/BKHDT-QLQH of November 23, 2023,

DECIDES:

Article 1. To approve the Master Plan of Ba Ria-Vung Tau province for the 2021-2030 period, with a vision toward 2050 (below referred to as the Master Plan), with the following contents:

I. SCOPE AND BOUNDARIES OF THE MASTER PLAN

The scope of planning covers the entire land area of Ba Ria-Vung Tau province of 1,982.56 km², including the administrative units of Ba Ria city, Vung Tau city, Phu My town, and Chau Duc, Dat Do, Long Dien, Xuyen Moc and Con Dao districts. The province borders on:

- Dong Nai province to the north;

- Binh Thuan province to the east;

- The East Sea to the southeast, south and southwest; and,

- Ho Chi Minh City to the west.

The marine space shall be determined under the Law of the Sea of Vietnam and the Government’s Decree No. 40/2016/ND-CP of May 15, 2016, detailing the implementation of a number of articles of the Law on Marine and Island Resources and Environment.

The province’s geographical coordinates are from 107º00’01” to 107º34’18” east longitude and from 10º19’08” to 10º48’39” north latitude.

II. DEVELOPMENT VIEWPOINTS, OBJECTIVES AND BREAKTHROUGHS

1. Development viewpoints

a/ To ensure conformity with the country’s development orientations and vision, and compliance with the Resolution of the 13^th National Party Congress; the Political Bureau’s Resolution No. 24-NQ/TW of October 7, 2022, on socio-economic development orientations and national defense and security assurance for the southeastern region through 2030, with a vision toward 2045; the National Socio-Economic Development Strategy; the Overall National Master Plan; national sectoral master plans; and the Resolution of the 7^th Party Congress of Ba Ria-Vung Tau province of the 2020-2025 tenure.

b/ To bring into play the potential and tap the competitive advantages of the system of special-grade national seaports; marine and island advantages; and natural advantages, and the role and position of the province in the southeastern region; to robustly develop marine economy and form large-scale industrial-service-urban complexes and high-quality and world-class tourist centers; to establish a free trade zone; to develop digital economy, circular economy and renewable energy sectors; to develop urban areas to be green, modern and smart, thereby creating a high-quality living environment; to make selective and focused investment in economic pillars and development breakthroughs, and form dynamic economic axes connecting functional areas, thereby creating a spillover effect to ensure the harmonious development among areas in the province.

c/ To promote the human factor, taking people as the center, the most important subject and resource, and the goal of development; to ensure rapid and sustainable development, attaching importance to efficiency and economical use of natural resources; to base the provincial development mainly on science and technology, innovation, digital transformation, and improved labor productivity; to promptly grasp and make the best use of opportunities brought about by the Fourth Industrial Revolution; to carry out proactive international integration and improve the provincial economy’s adaptability to international integration requirements.

d/ To reorganize and arrange a reasonable space for economic development, settle conflicts between economic sectors, and consolidate linkage and cooperation with other localities in the southeastern region and neighboring regions; to organize the province’s economic space into 4 functional areas and 3 development dynamic axes, connecting urban centers and development areas with a multimodal, complete and modern transport infrastructure system, ensuring close connection with the economic corridors of the country and the southeastern region and concurrently meeting the province’s socio-economic development requirements in a long-term vision; to develop urban areas after the model of multi-center urban areas and develop rural areas toward providing equal development opportunities to all areas and territories; to associate the process of urbanization with the building of civilized and modern new-style rural areas in harmony with nature.

dd/ To associate the economic development with the realization of social progress and justice and improvement of the quality of cultural, spiritual and material life for the people; to ensure the harmony of economic, social and environmental benefits throughout the development process; to maintain environmental protection and ecological balance, refraining from sacrificing the environment for economic benefits in the development process; to proactively respond to climate change, and ensure the sustainable development following green transformation trend based on the development of circular economy, green economy and low-carbon economy, thus contributing to achieving the goal of net-zero emissions by 2050 as committed by Vietnam at COP26.

e/ To closely combine socio-economic development and environmental protection with assurance of national defense and security and protection of sea and island sovereignty; to proactively grasp the reality so as not to fall into the state of being unprepared in any circumstances, attaching special importance to strategic areas, sea border areas and islands.

2. Development objectives through 2030

a/ General objectives

To build Ba Ria-Vung Tau into a comprehensively developed province, one of the important development dynamic areas of the southeastern region, a national marine economic center, and the one in the country’s top 5 localities with marine economic development; by 2030, the province will basically be qualified as a centrally run city with a multi-center urban structure and multimodal transport infrastructure facilities. The province will continue to be among the country’s top 10 localities with the highest gross regional domestic product (GRDP) and total state budget revenues; ensure its economic development in harmony with the realization of social progress and justice, improvement of the quality of the people’s life, environmental protection, efficient management and use of natural resources, and adaptation to climate change and sea level rise; and assure national defense and security, and firmly safeguard the sovereignty and territorial integrity.

b/ Specific objectives and targets through 2030

- Economically:

+ To develop economic sectors and fields that are highly competitive and closely and effectively linked with other localities in the southeastern region and the whole country through the Moc Bai-Ho Chi Minh City-Bien Hoa-Vung Tau economic corridor and the southern dynamic region.

+ GRDP (excluding petroleum) will grow by 8.1-8.6% per year on average in the 2021-2030 period, and per capita GRDP by 2030 will be around VND 497 million (equivalent to USD 18,000-18,500).

+ Economic structure (in GRDP) by 2030: industry-construction, 58-58.5% (of which processing and manufacturing industry in GRDP will be 40-43%); services, 29-29.5%; agro-forestry-fisheries, 6-6.5%; and taxes less subsidies on products, 6.5-6.7%.

+ The contribution of total factor productivity (TFP) to the local growth by 2030 will reach around 56%; the labor productivity growth rate will reach 7% per year on average.

+ To strongly develop digital infrastructure and data infrastructure and accelerate the development of digital government, digital economy and digital society in the province; the proportion of digital economy will account for 35-37% of GRDP.

+ To develop marine economy so that the province will become a national marine economic center; the proportion of marine economy, including petroleum or excluding petroleum, will make up around 75% or 60% of GRDP, respectively.

+ The urbanization rate will surpass 72-75% and nuclear cities will become “smart”.

+ All communes will meet advanced new-style countryside standards, 64% of which will meet model new-style countryside standards; all districts will meet advanced new-style countryside standards, 25% of which will meet model new-style countryside standards.

- Socially:

+ To firmly maintain the replacement fertility rate; the province’s population will reach around 1.44 million people (excluding temporary residents counted as permanent residents).

+ To improve the quality of the people’s life. The human development index (HDI) will be approximately 0.8; the average life expectancy will reach around 77.4; and the number of healthy life years will be at least 70.

+ The per-capita house floor area in urban areas will reach 35.1m²; the greenery area per urban resident will be 8-10m² on average; the ratio of the land area for traffic to the land area for urban construction will be 18-26%.

+ To raise the education and training quality. The rate of trained workers will reach 85-87%, of whom those possessing degrees or certificates will account for 43-48%. All communes, wards and townships will meet level-3 primary education universalization standards and level-3 lower secondary education universalization standards; the rates of schools attaining national standards will be: 55%, for early childhood schools; 80%, for primary schools and lower secondary schools; and 65%, for upper secondary schools.

+ The rates of workers in the industry-construction sector will be 33-35%; service sector, 53-55%, and agriculture sector, 10-12% of the total workforce.

+ To build a complete health system with higher quality, meeting the requirements of the people’s health care, protection and improvement. There will be 11 medical doctors, 3 doctors of pharmacy and 33 nurses per 10,000 people; the number of hospital beds per 10,000 people will be 32, of which private hospital beds will account for 15%.

+ To build and develop culture and people to meet sustainable development requirements. The rate of cultured villages, hamlets and residential quarters recognized and continuously maintaining as cultured ones throughout the period will surpass 90% (based on new standards).

- Natural resources and environmental protection:

+ All urban residents will be supplied with clean water through the centralized water supply system; 99% of rural households will have access to clean water from sources up to relevant technical regulations.

+ All hazardous solid wastes (including also hospital solid wastes) will be collected, transported and treated under regulations; all municipal domestic solid wastes will be collected and treated under regulations mainly through such circular economy models as recycling, fertilizer production, and waste-to-energy. By 2030, basically, the province will no longer treat domestic solid wastes with landfill technology; all urban and rural organic wastes will be recycled.

+ All trade centers, department stores, hotels and tourist sites will say no to disposable plastic products and non-biodegradable plastic bags.

+ All industrial parks and cottage industry zones will have their centralized wastewater treatment systems up to environmental technical regulations.

+ The rates of urban wastewater treated up to standards or technical regulations are as follows: over 50%, for grade-I and grade-II urban centers; and over 30%, for grade-III, grade-IV and grade-V urban centers, of the total wastewater volume.

+ The greenery coverage rate will surpass 45%, of which the forest coverage rate will be 13.5%; to improve forest quality, protect nature reserves, and improve the biodiversity quality.

- Infrastructure: To build a complete traffic system and form an uninterrupted and safe traffic network; to build hydraulic works, dikes, reservoirs, dams, and water supply infrastructure facilities to ensure water sources for production and domestic use; to equip modern communications, Internet access and terminal equipment; to build synchronous and gradually modernized urban, rural and social infrastructure facilities meeting urban classification and new-style countryside building criteria, thus ensuring utilities to serve the people’s lives and meet development needs.

- National defense and security assurance: To build solid defense areas and comprehensively strong armed forces capable of meeting their task requirements.

3. Vision toward 2050

Ba Ria-Vung Tau will be a national marine economic center; a maritime service center of Southeast Asia; a world-class high-quality tourism center; and one of large industrial centers of the southeastern region. It will have a complete and modern infrastructure system, and a safe, fresh and high-quality living environment, ensuring social development in harmony with nature, and efficient economic development toward circular economy, green economy and low-carbon economy, and realization of the net-zero emission goal.

4. Key tasks and development breakthroughs

a/ Key tasks

- To deal with interdisciplinary and inter-provincial contradictions and conflicts in the development process through evaluating the current state of development as well as harmonizing development orientations of sectors, fields and localities.

- To carry out economic restructuring and intensive change of the growth model, and improve growth quality and labor productivity on the basis of application of science and technology, innovation, and digital transformation promotion; to consider the digital transformation one of important tasks and solutions to create a new driving force for the socio-economic development.

- To propose provincial development planning solutions regarding the development of processing and manufacturing industries and clean and renewable energy production industries; to develop maritime and logistics services, high-quality and world-class tourism, and ecological and organic agriculture; and solutions to strongly improve the business investment environment and provincial competitiveness with appropriate mechanisms and policies.

b/ Development breakthroughs

- To concentrate efforts on completing traffic routes connecting the province with the southeastern region, promoting the regional linkage, and facilitating convenient connection of the province with the region, the country and the world, so that Ba Ria-Vung Tau can truly become a gateway of the region and the country.

- To establish hi-tech industrial parks and eco-industrial parks to attract investors and human resources in advanced manufacturing industries with modern technology, combined with the system of existing or underway industrial parks, urban centers and service centers, and form large-scale industry-service-urban complexes.

 - To develop and modernize the Thi Vai-Cai Mep international gateway port into a large international transshipment port of Asian and international stature; to form a national-level logistics center and a free trade zone associated with the seaport system in the Cai Mep Ha area, attract strategic investors and design a complete ecosystem conformable with leading international standards.

- To form tourist urban centers with a complete and modern infrastructure system and a safe, fresh and prominently quality living environment; to build the province into an international-standard entertainment and leisure center.

III. ORIENTATIONS FOR DEVELOPMENT OF IMPORTANT SECTORS; PLANS ON ORGANIZATION OF SOCIO-ECONOMIC ACTIVITIES

1. Orientations for development of important sectors

a/ Industrial development orientations

To develop large-scale industrial-service-urban complexes capable of joining and effectively linking with surrounding industrial, urban and service areas of the southeastern region along the corridors of ring roads 3 and 4 of Ho Chi Minh City and expressways of the region; to develop green industry capable of deeply participating in the global production networks and value chains.

Processing and manufacturing industries: To prioritize the development of the petrochemical industry and its downstream products, and processing of products from oil and chemicals; electricity-electronics, robot manufacturing, integrated automated equipment, remote control, Internet of Things, artificial intelligence; mechanical engineering industry for manufacturing lifting and loading/unloading equipment; mechanical products serving seaports and logistics activities through the formation of industrial linkage clusters; industry for manufacturing metals and metal products; manufacturing of means of transport, mechanical engineering for ship building and repair, and transport support services; pharmaceuticals and biologicals; supporting industries for petroleum extraction and provision of petroleum services.

Metallurgical industry: To maintain and increase the capacity of existing steel plants; to rationally develop agro-forestry-fisheries product processing industries, and other processing and manufacturing industries.

Power generation industry: To maintain existing power plants and develop more clean energy and renewable energy projects to supply electricity for domestic consumption and export (LNG thermal power; wind power in coastal and offshore waters in Xuyen Moc and Dat Do districts, Vung Tau city and Con Dao island district); to exploit cogeneration biomass power sources; to build domestic waste treatment plants applying incineration or waste-to-energy technology.

b/ Orientations for development of maritime services and logistics

To bring into play the role of the national special port system and continue to develop and modernize the Cai Mep-Thi Vai international gateway port into a large transshipment international port of Asian and international stature, associated with the Moc Bai-Ho Chi Minh City-Bien Hoa-Vung Tau economic corridor and the Trans-Asia economic corridor, and serving as a main seaward gateway of the southeastern region.

To form a free trade zone associated with the seaport system in the Cai Mep Ha area and a complete industrial-service ecosystem; to reserve land areas for large industrial corporations, and relocate global supply chains to the Ba Ria-Vung Tau area.

To develop logistics infrastructure facilities together with complete trade infrastructure and information technology infrastructure facilities qualified for artificial intelligence application and hi-tech connectivity; to build the Cai Mep Ha logistics center up to the national and international level for distribution of goods in the region; to closely link the special national seaport system with Long Thanh international airport; to develop regional- and provincial-level logistics centers in the new city of Phu My and Chau Duc district, closely linked with industrial-service-urban areas in order to form large-scale industrial-service-urban complexes, thereby creating a solid foundation for turning the new city of Phu My into a modern port city with complete infrastructure.

c/ Tourism development orientations

To promote the province’s advantages of seas, islands, mountainous and forest landscapes, biodiversity resources and cultural-historical resources to develop it into a high-quality tourism center of national and international stature.

To develop tourism in the southeastern coastal area, particularly along provincial road 994 from Vung Tau city to Binh Chau, and form a driving force axis for tourist economy, thereby creating a belt for tourist development linkage with provinces in the southeastern region, Mekong River delta, Central Highlands and southern Central Vietnam.

To develop the Long Hai-Phuoc Hai and Ho Tram-Binh Chau national tourism sites, with such tourism products as sea-island leisure tourism, high-quality sports-entertainment tourism, cultural tourism, ecotourism, tourism real estate, wellness tourism, agricultural and rural tourism, etc.

To develop coastal tourist urban chains in Vung Tau city, Long Hai, Phuoc Hai, Ho Tram and Binh Chau as green cities with a prominent urban infrastructure and living environment quality as compared to other cities in the southeastern region; to develop Vung Tau city into a world-class high-quality tourism center.

To develop the Con Dao national tourism site into a high-quality tourism center, focusing on the protection and conservation of biodiversity and conservation and promotion of values of a special national historical relic.

d/ Orientations for development of the information and communications industry and digital transformation

To develop information and communications infrastructure and services so as to serve production activities of enterprises and lives of the people. By 2030, the province will basically complete the digital transformation, develop a smart city and e-commerce, and ensure information security; to improve the quality of fiber-optic cables to households and quality of 4G mobile network coverage and deploy and expand 5G networks; to develop big data infrastructure, artificial intelligence, information and telecommunications technology, etc.; to develop a regional data hub in the province and form a dynamic zone for information technology industry and digital technology; to attract investment in manufacturing electrical and electronic products, Internet of Things products, artificial intelligence.

dd/ Development of marine economy

To build the province into a national marine economic center, meeting national criteria for sustainable development of marine economy; to develop key marine economic sectors up to international standards, such as sea-island tourism, maritime economy (seaports, logistics, ocean shipping services); extraction of petroleum and other marine mineral resources; coastal industries; aquaculture and fishing; renewable energy and new marine economic sectors (marine science and technology, marine urban areas); to attach importance to protecting the marine environment and responding to climate change and sea level rise; to strive for the target that by 2030, marine economic sectors (excluding petroleum) will account for around 60% of the province’s GRDP of which pure marine economic sectors will account for around 20%.

2. Orientations for development of other sectors and fields

a/ Orientations for development of agriculture, forestry and fisheries

To develop agriculture, mainly ecological, organic, and eco-friendly agriculture. To restructure the agriculture sector based on the factors of efficiency, ecology and sustainability, applying safe, chain-based production processes from the production stage to the processing and consumption stage; to develop crop and livestock production unit codes associated with traceability; to link agricultural and fishery production with tourism development and biodiversity conservation. To develop a new-style countryside with a synchronous infrastructure system and sufficient convenient facilities and living conditions, bringing the living standard in rural areas closer to that in urban areas.

To concentrate on sustainable forest management, protection and development; to promote the role and usages of forests, contributing to environmental protection, mitigation of disasters, and proactive and effective response to climate change; to conserve natural resources and biodiversity and enrich the forest ecosystem.

To restructure the aquaculture and fishing sector, refraining from setting the goal of increasing production output but focusing mainly on improving product quality with target consumers being tourists and local urban inhabitants. To prioritize the development of offshore fishing vessels; to develop organic, sustainable and efficient aquaculture; to strongly develop offshore aquaculture. To build a fisheries logistics service center of the Southeast region and invest in, exploit, and promote the effectiveness of, fishing infrastructure facilities (fishing ports and storm shelters for fishing vessels) according to relevant national master plans.

To continue implementing the National Target Program on Building a New-Style Countryside associated with restructuring the agriculture sector, developing the rural economy, and realizing the urbanization roadmap; to improve the material and spiritual lives of rural people. To proceed with the building of advanced new-style countryside and model new-style countryside; to build rural socio-economic infrastructure to be synchronous and gradually modern, ensuring bright, green, clean, beautiful and safe rural environment and landscape, adapting to climate change and adhering to the principle of sustainable development; to promote the development of agricultural and rural tourism and agricultural support services.

b/ Orientations for development of the trade-finance service sector

To ensure the harmony and synchronicity in development between modern and traditional trade infrastructure and between urban and rural markets. To develop a network of distribution channels with civilized and modern types of retail; to consolidate and upgrade the traditional market system; to promote the development of modern business types such as shopping centers, convenience store chains, online sale, vending machines, etc.

To develop financial, banking and insurance services to meet the province’s socio-economic development requirements.

c/ Orientations for development of the education-training and vocational education sector

To comprehensively and synchronously develop the network of education and training institutions, including early childhood education, general education, continuing education, specialized education and vocational education in line with the requirements for international integration, improvement of people’s knowledge and training of human resources, thus meeting the human resource demand for economic development of the province and the region.

To improve the quality of human resources. To boost career orientation, streaming, and training of human resources based on social needs; to attract high-quality human resources into a number of important sectors and fields such as petrochemical industry, logistics, seaports, tourism, organic agriculture, science-technology and innovation. To promote vocational education, focusing on the training of human resources in industries serving the development of the province’s economic pillars such as maritime economy, logistics and tourism.

d/ Orientations for development of science and technology

To develop science, technology and innovation, forming scientific and technological research centers. To attract and promote scientific research activities and promote the transfer of technologies created from research outcomes for application to production and life.

To develop scientific and technological infrastructure and potential to be synchronous and modern; to concentrate on developing and forming industrial clusters specialized in marine and ocean science on the basis of science, technology and innovation, capable of organizing scientific research activities and solving practical problems raising in the province and the region,  especially in the key sectors and fields of the province such as combined seaport-and-logistics; sea-island tourism; fishing, aquaculture and aquatic product processing; renewable energy development; ecological and organic agriculture, etc., developing science and technology into a service sector and an important factor that creates a momentum for the province’s socio-economic development.

dd/ Orientations for development of the health sector

To renew and develop a synchronous health system from the provincial to grassroots level; to improve the quality of medical examination and treatment; to harmoniously combine traditional medicine and modern medicine. To enhance the capacity of preventive medicine associated with renovation of grassroots health. To firmly maintain the replacement fertility rate and improve population quality.

To develop high-quality medical services associated with tourism activities such as: medical examination and treatment combined with leisure tourism; nursing centers; cosmetic surgery centers and beauty care facilities.

e/ Orientations for development of the culture and sports sector

To develop synchronous cultural and sports institutions up to law-specified standards at all three levels (provincial, district and commune levels), meeting people’s needs and serving the performance of political tasks assigned by the Party and the State; at the same time, to build modern cultural and sports works and institutions capable of hosting great cultural events and national and international sports tournaments. To develop high-quality cultural, sports and entertainment services associated with tourism.

To invest in conserving and promoting the values ​​of relics, and typical tangible and intangible cultural heritages with distinct political, cultural, historical and traditional significance, especially conserving and promoting the Con Dao national historical relic.

g/ Orientations for development of the labor, employment and social security sector

To effectively implement social security programs. To create sufficient jobs for people who are able to work. To develop social assistance establishments that have sufficient capacity and scale to meet the demand for accessing and enjoying public social assistance services of various groups of social protection policy beneficiaries; to raise social subsidy standards commensurate with the province’s development level.

h/ National defense and security

To carry out socio-economic development combined with building and consolidation of the national defense and security posture, building a firm defense zone, and spatial arrangement of areas in key geographical locations to serve the performance of national defense tasks. To improve effectiveness and combat readiness to safeguard the country. To proactively grasp the situation and early and remotely detect public security and order-related dangers so as to promptly handle them and not to fall into the state of being unprepared. To maintain political security, ensure human security and cyber security; to effectively fight, prevent and control crimes and law violations; to ensure social order, traffic safety, and fire and explosion prevention and fighting.

3. Plans on organization of socio-economic activities and reorganization of district-level administrative units

a/ Development of socio-economic functional areas

To organize socio-economic activities based in 4 functional areas, including 3 mainland territorial areas and 1 sea-island area.

* Industrial-seaport area

This area is located in the west-southwest and northwest of the province, embracing the entire administrative areas of Phu My town and Ba Ria city, the western area of ​​Chau Duc district, and the west-southwest area of Vung Tau city; it is the industrial-seaport area which is reserved for development of industries, seaports and urban centers with the main driving forces for economic development being support services for industries and seaports and multi-sectoral services; effectively linked with industrial, urban, service and logistics belts along corridors of Ring Roads 3 and 4 of Ho Chi Minh City and expressways of the Southeast region; and connected to the Moc Bai-Ho Chi Minh City-Bien Hoa-Vung Tau economic corridor and the Trans-Asia economic corridor. To form and develop large-scale industrial-service-urban complexes in the new city of Phu My.

* Tourism and coastal urban area

- This area is located in the southeast of the province, embracing the area from national highway 55 and in southeast of national highway 51 to the coastal area along provincial road 994 in the administrative areas of Vung Tau city and the districts of Long Dien, Dat Do and Xuyen Moc; it has the main functions of developing tourism and tourism services; and carrying out agricultural production and aquaculture and fishing activities in the zone oriented to be developed in service of tourism.

- In this area, to develop ecological and organic agricultural production, organic aquaculture and clean production areas with the goal of supplying “clean” food in service of tourism and people in the province. To maintain freshwater and saltwater aquaculture and fishing activities at a reasonable scale, gradually reducing the number of fishing vessels; to upgrade (but not expand the scale) and modernize fishing ports and wharves to meet the requirements of improving the quality of fishing activities and protecting the environment, ensuring development in association with tourism and in service of tourism development. Not to plan the construction of new industrial parks and cottage industry zones while inspecting and closely controlling production processes in existing industrial parks and cottage industry clusters, thus avoiding impacts of environmental pollution.

* Agricultural and ecological balance area

- This area is located in the northern and northeast of the province within the administrative territories of Dat Do district (north of national highway 55), Xuyen Moc district (north of national highway 55), and Chau Duc district (eastern part of national highway 56).

- It is an area where economic development is combined with stabilization of the lives of rural residents, increase of greenery coverage and protection of freshwater sources. To set orientations for development of ecological agriculture and organic agriculture and sustainable development (associated with ecological conservation and tourism).

- In this area, to refrain from building new industrial parks but only develop a number of cottage industry zones of reasonable scale with the aim of relocating, and expanding production and business activities of, small- and medium-sized enterprises, cooperatives, cooperative groups, and production establishments of households and individuals. With regard to existing industrial parks, to strictly adhere to the selective investment attraction policy, avoiding investment in projects that pose a risk of causing environmental pollution, especially water pollution.

* Sea and island area

This area embraces the marine space managed by the province and is the area for marine economic development: marine tourism, maritime economy, freshwater and saltwater aquaculture and fishing; aquatic resource protection, protection of marine and island environment and biodiversity; marine scientific research; development of renewable energy and new marine economic sectors; oil and gas exploration and production, supporting services for the oil and gas industry; and the infrastructure system serving marine economic development.

To develop Con Dao into a high-quality sea-island eco-tourism site of regional and international class. Con Dao is an area for conservation of special national historical relic; and an area for conservation of diverse forest and marine ecosystems and performance of the important task of protecting national defense and security. To develop Con Dao port, offshore oil and gas ports, floating berths, anchorage areas, storm shelters, etc., according to the Master Plan on the National Seaport System and the Master Plan on the National Marine Space.

b/ Development of dynamic economic axes and growth poles

- The Cai Mep-Thi Vai industry-seaport dynamic economic axis, associated with the inter-port transport system and national highway 51: To focus on developing the system of national special-grade seaports which perform the function of gateway international transshipment ports; to form national and international logistics centers; to form a free-trade zone associated with the seaport system in the Cai Mep Ha area functioning as a deep-water international transshipment port and industrial park associated with a logistics center capable of competing in the region and the world; to invest in national key industrial projects in the Long Son-Cai Mep area with major industrial projects such as the Southern petrochemical complex and Long Son LNG thermal power plant, and downstream petrochemical projects; to continue to invest in completing the building of infrastructure of, and attracting investment in, Cai Mep Ha downstream port, industrial parks and cottage industry zones as planned.

- The industrial-logistic service dynamic economic axis along the Bien Hoa-Vung Tau expressway and Ring Road 4 of Ho Chi Minh City: To develop large-scale industrial-service-urban complexes in the new city of Phu My; to develop hi-tech industrial parks and new service-urban centers in Cu Be and Suoi Nghe (Chau Duc district); logistics areas along Ring Road 4 of Ho Chi Minh City; and provincial-level logistics centers in Chau Duc district. With regard to industrial parks in this dynamic economic axis, to apply the selective investment attraction policy for industries of high and advanced technologies such as electricity-electronics, robot production, integrated automation and remote control equipment, Internet of Things, artificial intelligence; production of means of transport; pharmaceuticals, biological products, etc.

- The coastal tourism dynamic economic axis along provincial road 994 and the road connecting to the Bien Hoa-Vung Tau expressway with the system of coastal tourist cities of Vung Tau, Long Hai, Phuoc Hai, Ho Tram and Binh Chau, complex tourist zones exploiting marine and forest resources; to develop a chain of high-quality products in such fields as leisure tourism, beach tourism, sports-entertainment tourism, cultural tourism, eco-tourism, medical tourism, wellness tourism, and beauty tourism; to connect space and associate tourism development with localities in the Southeast, Mekong River Delta, South Central Coast and Central Highlands regions.

c/ Plan on reorganization of district- and commune-level administrative units in the 2023-2030 period

Pursuant to the National Assembly Standing Committee’s Resolution No. 35/2023/UBTVQH15 of July 12, 2023, and documents of the Government and related ministries, the tentative specific plan on reorganization of district- and commune-level administrative units in the 2023-2030 period is as follows:

- The 2023-2025 period:

+ To merge Long Dien and Dat Do districts into 1 administrative unit.

+ To reorganize 9 commune-level administrative units, specifically as follows: to merge An Nhut, An Ngai and Tam Phuoc communes (Long Dien district); to merge Phuoc Trung and Phuoc Hiep wards (Ba Ria city); to merge Phuoc Hoi and Loc An communes and merge Long My commune and Phuoc Hai township (Dat Do district).

- The 2026-2030 period:

+ To adjust the administrative boundaries between Ba Ria city and the new city of Phu My based on specific factors regarding historical tradition, geographical location and natural conditions, ensuring that both administrative units will satisfy the law-prescribed criteria on area and population.

+ To reorganize 6 commune-level administrative units as follows: To adjust the administrative boundaries between Phuoc Long Tho commune and Long Tan commune (Dat Do district), and between Hoa Hoi commune and Hoa Hung commune (Xuyen Moc district); to merge Phuoc Hung commune into Long Hai township.

The specific contents on merger and adjustment of boundaries of administrative units; and determination of the boundary, area, population and name of each administrative unit must comply with the Scheme thereon to be submitted to competent authorities for decision.

IV. PLANS ON THE URBAN SYSTEM  AND TERRITORIAL ORGANIZATION OF RURAL AREAS

1. Plan on the urban system

a/ The urban system of Ba Ria-Vung Tau province until 2030

To develop the urban system to be green, smart and adaptive to climate change. To form an urban system with synchronous and modern transport infrastructure (including surface transport, underground transport and elevated transport), ensuring connection between the province’s urban centers and with other urban centers in the region, and urban development in association with protection of natural ecosystems.

To strive for the target that by 2030, Ba Ria-Vung Tau will basically meet the criteria of a centrally run city, playing the role of an important development pole in the urban system of the Southeast region. The area where it is expected to establish a city meeting the criteria of a grade-I centrally run urban center shall be determined on the basis of the urban centers of Vung Tau, Ba Ria, Phu My, Long Dien and Long Hai. To develop and modernize satellite cities which play a leading and core role in  creating spillover effects for the development of suburban areas, coastal areas and rural areas with 8 grade-V urban centers of Ngai Giao, Kim Long, Hoa Binh, Phuoc Buu, Binh Chau, Ho Tram, Dat Do and Phuoc Hai and 1 island ecological urban area (Con Dao).

After 2030, to upgrade 2 urban centers, namely Ngai Giao and Phuoc Buu, from grade V to grade IV; to develop 2 grade-V urban centers of Cu Bi and Suoi Nghe (in Chau Duc district). By 2050, Ba Ria-Vung Tau will be a national marine economic center and the main seaward gateway of ​​the Southeast region, which shall be organized in a multi-center structure with the urban centers of Vung Tau, Phu My, Ba Ria, Long Dien and Long Hai, be accessible by a synchronous and modern urban transportation system (urban roads and Metro and MonoRail lines); and have a system of satellite urban areas of an appropriate size where the  quality of the living environment will be up to the green urban standards.

b/ Orientations for development of the provincial capital

Ba Ria city is the capital of Ba Ria-Vung Tau province. In the 2026-2030 period, under the plan on reorganization of administrative units, the city will be expanded on the basis of acquiring part of the area and population of Phu My town, and will hence satisfy the law-prescribed criteria of natural area and population size of a centrally run city. To build and develop the city for it to fully meet the criteria of a grade-II urban center according to regulations on urban classification.

After 2030, the Ba Ria city’s location will be the center of the area where the centrally run city of Ba Ria-Vung Tau is expected to be established.

(Details are provided in Appendix I to this Decision).

2. Plan on reorganization of administrative units of urban centers

Based on law-prescribed standards, in the 2023-2025 period, to merge Long My commune into Phuoc Hai township (Dat Do district). In the 2026-2030 period, to adjust the administrative boundaries between Ba Ria city and the new city of Phu My, and merge Phuoc Hung commune into Long Hai township.

The specific contents on the merger and adjustment of boundaries of administrative units; determination of the boundary, area, population and name of each administrative unit must comply with the Scheme thereon to be submitted to competent authorities for decision.

3. Plan on territorial organization of rural areas

The territorial organization of rural areas shall be associated with the ecological characteristics of each area; infrastructure of rural residential areas shall be developed synchronously with agricultural production infrastructure, ensuring connection with the infrastructure system of inner-city areas and, at the same time, being consistent with the goal of building a new-style countryside or the urbanization orientations and urban development roadmap in areas planned for urban development.

To develop rural territories to promote the development of services for urban areas and supply a labor market and ensure a good residential environment for part of the urban population. To form rural residential areas associated with agricultural production (crop and livestock production) on the basis of existing residential quarters in communes, villages and hamlets. To shift economic activities in coastal residential areas with the potential for development of experiential tourism to tourism support services.

V. PLANS ON DEVELOPMENT OF FUNCTIONAL AREAS

1. Plan on development of the industrial park system

To continue to improve infrastructure, attracting investment in 13 operating industrial parks; to complete procedures and make investment in infrastructure of 4 industrial parks already included in relevant master plans; to add 7 industrial parks to relevant master plans. By 2030, the province will have 24 industrial parks with a total area of ​​about 16,052 hectares with allocated land-use norms of 10,755 hectares.

(Details are provided in Appendix II to this Decision).

2. Plan on development of cottage industry zones

To continue to improve infrastructure, attracting investment in 11 existing cottage industry zones; to plan the development of 5 other cottage industry zones. By 2030, the province will have 16 cottage industry zones with a total land area of ​​547 hectares.

(Details are provided in Appendix III to this Decision).

3. Plan on development of tourist sites

To form and develop tourist areas and sites, including:

- The urban tourist area of ​​Vung Tau city and its vicinities (Long Son and Go Gang), which will become a world-class high-quality tourist urban area: To develop  meetings-incentives-conferences-exhibitions (MICE) tourism, beach-leisure tourism, and high-quality recreation and entertainment, etc.

- The Long Hai-Phuoc Hai national tourist site and vicinities: To develop beach resorts.

- The Ho Tram-Binh Chau national tourist site (Xuyen Moc district) and vicinities: To develop leisure tourism associated with forest and sea nature and high-quality entertainment.

- The Con Dao national tourist site, which will be developed into a distinct cultural-historical sea-island eco-tourism area of ​​regional and international scale and high competitiveness and promote the values ​​of the Con Dao special national historical relic site.

4. Plan on development of conservation areas and areas where exist historical-cultural relics and scenic spots that need to be preserved, embellished and restored 

a/ Development of conservation areas: To protect and improve 2 national nature reserves, including:

- Con Dao national park in Con Dao district: To conserve and sustainably use important natural ecosystems on land, sea and seabed.

- Binh Chau-Phuoc Buu nature reserve: To conserve and sustainably use important natural ecosystems.

b/ Areas where exist historical-cultural relics and scenic spots that need to be preserved, embellished and restored 

Areas where exist historical-cultural relics and scenic spots that need to be preserved, embellished and restored include: the whole areas of the Con Dao special national historical relic site, areas with boundary markers of national- and provincial-level historical-cultural relics recognized by competent authorities.

To implement programs and projects on preservation, restoration and embellishment of historical and cultural relics, preserving to the utmost original constituents of relics. To promote historical and cultural values ​​of historical and cultural relics to serve the education of historical traditions and tourism activities.

5. Plan on development of concentrated agricultural production areas

To guide specialized crop production areas and develop hi-tech, organic, and ecological agriculture areas. To form and develop rice, pepper, and specialty fruit tree growing areas, etc.

To reasonably arrange concentrated livestock production areas, zone off areas subject to conditional livestock production, areas banned from livestock production; and concentrated aquaculture areas.

(Details are provided in Appendix IV to this Decision).

To protect ​​protection forests, special-use forests and production forests according to forestry planning, and manage forests in a sustainable manner; to ensure the harmony between  socio-economic development goals and national defense and public security assurance goals; to protect the landscape, ecological environment and biodiversity; to protect water sources, and adapt to climate change and sea level rise.

6. Plan on determination of military and security zones

- Military and security zones must comply with land-use norms allocated by the Prime Minister.

- The arrangement and construction of national defense works in the province shall be carried out according to the map for determination of military zones and geographical areas prioritized for national defense tasks approved by the Ministry of National Defense. The adjustment of the area of ​​land for national defense purposes to serve the province’s socio-economic development shall be conducted when plans thereon are submitted by the Ministry of National Defense to competent authorities for consideration and decision.

- Fire prevention and rescue areas: To arrange fire prevention and fighting infrastructure works in the centers of districts and cities, industrial parks, cottage industry zones and key areas facing the risk of fire and explosion, ensuring convenience in terms of transportation, water sources and communications, and compliance with current regulations.

7. Plan on development of other functional areas

- To form a free trade zone associated with the seaport in the Cai Mep Ha area with a complete industrial-service ecosystem (the development of the free trade zone must comply with a separate scheme to be submitted to competent authorities according to regulations).

- To develop urban-service complexes, logistics centers and inland container depots providing transportation and warehousing services associated with the Cai Mep-Thi Vai seaport system and connecting to Long Thanh international airport.

- Cultural-sports functional areas associated with tourism development: To invest in building a number of large-scale service-sports-cultural service centers capable of hosting national and international sports and cultural events.

(Details are provided in Appendix V to this Decision).

VI. PLANS ON DEVELOPMENT OF TECHNICAL INFRASTRUCTURE SYSTEMS

1. Plans on development of the transport network

a/ Roads

To build a complete and inter-linked transport system, synchronously connected with national, regional and intra-provincial transport systems to create an uninterrupted and effective transport network.

- Plans on development of national transport infrastructure facilities: To develop a national road network in the province, including the Bien Hoa-Vung Tau expressway, ring road 4 of Ho Chi Minh City, and national highways 55, 56, 51 and 51C. The scale of road routes must comply with the Prime Minister-approved Master Plan on the road network for the 2021-2030 period, with a vision toward 2050. To build national highways’ bypass sections running through urban centers, namely national highway 51’s bypass section running through Ba Ria city, and national highway 55’s bypass section running through Phuoc Buu and Dat Do townships.

- Plans on development of provincial-level transport infrastructure facilities: By 2030, the province will have 22 provincial roads, including 12 existing roads and 10 roads to be added as planned, specifically as follows:

+ For 12 existing provincial roads: To upgrade, and adjust the directions of, some road sections, and prolong the to-be-formed road sections to ensure conformity with technical specifications, and form an uninterrupted transport network, ensuring convenience for production activities and the people’s life.

+ For 10 provincial roads to be added: To adjust a number of existing roads, upgrade and invest in new road sections to form an uninterrupted transport network, including provincial road 992B (the Phuoc Hoa-Cai Mep road); provincial road 992C (road 965); provincial road 994B (the Ba Ria-Vung Tau arterial road); provincial road 994C (national highway 51’s section used as a local road); provincial road 994D (April-30 road); provincial road 994E (Hoang Sa road); provincial road 995C (Nghia Thanh-Cu Bi); provincial road 996D (Chau Duc-Long Dien); provincial road 999B (Ho Coc-Hoa Hiep); and Con Dao district roundabout.

(Details are provided in Appendix VI to this Decision).

b/ Seaports

To develop the Ba Ria-Vung Tau seaport system with scale and functions of a special port, including the wharf areas of Cai Mep, Thi Vai and Sao Mai-Ben Dinh, the international passenger wharves of Vung Tau, Long Son, Dinh river and Con Dao, and offshore oil and gas terminals. The planning scope, functions and ship size must comply with the Prime Minister-approved Overall Master Plan on development of Vietnam’s seaport system for the 2021-2030 period, with a vision toward 2050. The land and water areas of Ba Ria-Vung Tau seaport must comply with the detailed master plan on development of land and water areas of Ba Ria-Vung Tau seaport for the 2021-2030 period, with a vision toward 2050.

c/ Inland container depots

To develop the inland container depot system to meet the needs of transporting exported and imported goods, and increase the cargo throughput capacity of the Ba Ria-Vung Tau seaport system with inland container depot clusters within the Ho Chi Minh City-Vung Tau transport corridor, including My Xuan depot cluster, Phu My-Phuoc Hoa depot cluster, Phu My inland container depot (Phu My III industrial park), and Phuoc Hoa inland container depot (Cai Mep inland container depot). The specific contents on development of the inland container depot system must comply with the Prime Minister-approved Overall Master Plan on development of the inland container depot system for the 2021-2030 period, with a vision toward 2050.

d/ Inland waterways

To develop national inland waterway infrastructure facilities, transport corridors and waterway routes in the province in conformity with the Prime Minister-approved Master Plan on inland waterway infrastructure for the 2021-2030 period, with a vision toward 2050.

To develop local inland waterway transport routes in the mainland area on 25 rivers/ditches of grade I to grade VI. The inland waterway port system will have 94 inland waterway ports and wharves, including 50 existing ports and wharves and 44 inland waterway ports and wharves and specialized wharves planned for development to serve tourism. In Con Dao district, to maintain 29 existing inland waterway wharves, and additionally plan specialized wharves serving tourism in districts in the areas of Hon Ba, Dam Tre bay, Hong Dam and Bai Dat Doc districts.

(Details are provided in Appendix VII to this Decision).

dd/ Railways

- To build the Bien Hoa-Vung Tau railway under the Prime Minister-approved Master Plan on the railway network for the 2021-2030 period, with a vision
toward 2050.

- To additionally plan 2 branch lines connecting the Bien Hoa-Vung Tau railway with the seaport system: branch line No. 1 of 5.3km connected to the Thi Vai seaport area; and branch line No. 2 of 9.1km connected to the Cai Mep seaport area and Cai Mep Ha logistics center.

- Urban railways: After 2030, to study the building of 3 urban railway routes: route No. 1 mainly operating on coastal roads and around the inner-city area of Vung Tau city; route No. 2 connecting the coastal urban centers of Vung Tau, Long Hai, Phuoc Hai, Ho Tram and Binh Chau; and route No. 3 connecting Vung Tau, Ba Ria and Phu My (this route is planned to be connected to Long Thanh international airport and Nhon Trach city of Dong Nai province).

e/ Airports/aerodromes

- To develop Con Dao airport: The scale, grade, design capacity and expected land area of the airport must comply with the Prime Minister-approved Overall Master Plan on development of the national system of airports and aerodromes for the 2021-2030 period, with a vision toward 2050.

- To plan 2 specialized aerodromes:

+ To replace the current Vung Tau aerodrome with Go Gang aerodrome for trade and service development under the Prime Minister’s Decision No. 586/QD-TTg of May 17, 2019, approving adjustment of the General Master Plan on building of Vung Tau city through 2035; the aerodrome is planned to be of grade 3C on a land area of around 248.5 hectares.

+ To plan Dat Do aerodrome of grade 4C on a land area of around 244.3 hectares.

g/ Other transport infrastructure facilities

- Car terminals: By 2030, the province will have 20 car terminals, including 2 in Vung Tau city, 3 in Ba Ria city,  2 in Phu My town, 4 in Chau Duc district, 6 in Long Dien and Dat Do districts, and 3 in Xuyen Moc district.

- To build rest stops on expressways and national highways running through the province to conveniently serve transportation activities and meet the people’s needs.

2. Plans on development of the power supply network

- To invest in projects on national-level power sources, and 500kV and 220kV power grids in conformity with the National Power Development Plan; to develop power transmission and distribution grids in association with the province’s socio-economic development orientations; to gradually invest and renovate the power grid under the relevant master plan; to prioritize power sources for production activities and industrial parks and cottage industry zones in the province.

- To maintain and develop the existing power sources in the province; to develop a number of biomass power plants and waste-to-energy plants in order to take advantage of raw materials and improve economic efficiency associated with environmental protection; to invest in wind power projects for export and new energy production; to renovate and upgrade or build transformer stations and 220kV and 110kV transmission lines to meet the demand for power for socio-economic development and domestic use.

(Details are provided in Appendix VIII to this Decision).

3. Plan on development of petroleum and gas storage infrastructure facilities

- To implement projects on national-level petroleum and gas storage facilities; projects on petroleum and gas pipelines; and gas processing/liquefaction projects under the National Master Plan on petroleum and gas storage and supply infrastructure facilities and the Overall National Master Plan on Energy for the 2021-2030 period, with a vision toward 2050.

- To build provincial-level petroleum storage facilities to store petroleum for production activities and meeting the people’s life in the province.

 (Details are provided in Appendix IX to this Decision).

4. Plans on development of the telecommunications network    

- To maintain the operation of the existing points for public telecommunications service provision; to develop more points for public telecommunications service provision in rural districts, towns and cities to meet the society’s demand for manned public telecommunications services.

- To develop base transceiver stations to meet the demand and ensure the provision of services to every person; to concentrate efforts on and prioritize the development of base transceiver stations in urban centers, concentrated residential areas, industrial parks, cottage industry zones, tourist attractions and Con Dao area; to develop infrastructure facilities of the telecommunications cable network to serve socio-economic development and lay underground the urban telecommunications cable network throughout the province; to build telecommunications cable poles suitable to conditions of different areas; to accelerate digital transformation in the fields of education, health, agriculture, tourism, transport, energy, natural resources and the environment, etc.; to build an international submarine fiber-optic cable system, aiming to form a regional data hub in the province; to form a driving-force area for information technology industry and digital technology to attract investment in the production of electrical and electronic products as well as IoT and AI products.

5. Plans on development of hydraulic-work and water supply networks

- To build hydraulic-work infrastructure facilities to ensure irrigation and water supply and drainage for agricultural production, livelihood and economic sectors, improve disaster prevention and control capacity, and promptly and effectively respond to the most disadvantageous cases, thus contributing to sustainable socio-economic development, environmental protection and climate change adaptation. To build Song Ray 2 reservoir and small reservoirs to serve forest firefighting in Con Dao and some other mainland areas.

- To build water plants and water transmission and distribution networks to supply adequate and quality water for the people in urban and rural areas; to supply water for service and industrial and agricultural production activities.

(Details are provided in Appendix X to this Decision).

6. Plans on development of water drainage and wastewater treatment systems, waste treatment facilities and cemeteries

a/ Plans on rainwater drainage

To carry out basin-based rainwater drainage through water drainage areas in the province, including the drainage basin of Thi Vai river for Phu My town; the drainage basin of Dinh river for Chau Duc and Long Dien districts, Ba Ria city and part of Vung Tau city; the drainage basin of Ray river for Xuyen Moc and Dat Do districts; and the drainage basin of Chua stream for the eastern area of Ba Ria-Vung Tau province.

b/ Plans on wastewater drainage

- Wastewater drainage must comply with master plans of urban areas, rural areas and functional areas, with wastewater collection and treatment solutions suitable to each type of wastewater (domestic wastewater, wastewater from industrial and agricultural production, wastewater from aquatic product processing, hospital wastewater, etc.).

- To build wastewater collection and treatment systems in the urban centers of Vung Tau (phase 2), Ba Ria, Phu My, Long Dien, Phuoc Hai, Dat Do, Ngai Giao, Phuoc Buu and Kim Long, the central area of Con Dao, and new urban centers as planned.

c/ Waste treatment facilities

- To maintain operation and expand the area of solid waste treatment facilities in Toc Tien, Phu My town, to meet the requirements of treatment of domestic solid waste, industrial solid waste, hazardous solid waste, medical solid waste, and sludge generated in the province; to collect, transport and treat hazardous waste that contains naturally occurring radioactive materials generated in the province in accordance with the national sectoral master plan, and the laws on environmental protection and atomic energy.

- To build a modern solid waste management system, organize at-source sorting of domestic waste; to collect, reuse, recycle and thoroughly treat wastes with advanced and appropriate technologies to quickly reduce the amount of waste subject to landfill. By 2030, sorted domestic solid wastes will basically be treated after circular economic models such as recycling, organic fertilizer processing and waste-to-energy technology.

- To build domestic solid waste treatment plants applying waste-to-energy technology in Toc Tien (Phu My town), Dat Do 1 industrial park and Vung Tau city for combined treatment with domestic solid waste treatment plants through recycling and organic fertilizer production, ensuring the full treatment of domestic solid wastes generated in the mainland of the province; to build a domestic solid waste treatment plant applying waste-to-energy  technology in Con Dao.

- To build waste transfer stations that meet technical requirements on environmental protection under regulations of the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment to store sorted domestic solid wastes pending transportation to waste treatment sites.

d/ Cemeteries, crematoriums and funeral homes

- To maintain the existing cemeteries and build more cemeteries under master plans of urban areas and rural areas as appropriate to population size; to refrain from expanding small cemeteries in communes and towns of rural districts, gradually limiting burial and eventually closing small cemeteries.

- To maintain the operation of Long Huong crematorium; to build a funeral home associated with a crematorium and an ash storage area in Con Dao; to plan the building of crematoriums and, when necessary, build crematoriums in cemeteries included in relevant master plans; to build funeral homes in Vung Tau and Phu My urban centers under the general master plan of urban areas.

(Details provided in Appendix XI to this Decision).

7. Plans on development of the fire prevention and fighting network

- To build and reasonably develop a fire prevention and fighting infrastructure network; to improve the organization and model of firefighting and rescue forces; to study the formation of a firefighting and rescue center of the southeastern region in the province to respond to oil and chemical spills in the entire region.

- To build a transport system serving fire prevention and fighting and rescue activities that is accessible by the longest, widest, highest and heaviest firefighting or rescue vehicles (usually ladder trucks) of firefighting and rescue forces.

- Water supply systems for firefighting must ensure prompt supply of firefighting water under current regulations.

- Communication systems in service of firefighting and rescue must comply with regulations and be connected to those of neighboring provincial units and centrally run units.

- To build a network of offices and barracks of firefighting and rescue police forces, ensuring that each rural district has at least 1firefighting and rescue police brigade.

(Details are provided in Appendix XII to this Decision).

8. Plans on development of urban infrastructure and housing

- To develop urban infrastructure facilities that meet the criteria corresponding to each type of urban center under the relevant master plan. For infrastructure facilities of urban centers with adjacent administrative boundaries such as Vung Tau, Ba Ria, Phu My, Long Dien and Long Hai, to plan and invest in shared urban infrastructure works to promote efficiency of and create connection among urban centers toward forming a common and unified urban center.

- The housing development must comply with urban development programs. To diversify types of houses such as individual houses and apartment buildings; commercial houses, houses for resettlement, and social houses, with priority given to the development of high-rise apartment buildings with complete and modern socio-economic infrastructure facilities and convenient public service works, low construction density, and increased greenery density and land use coefficient, thus creating a high-quality living environment. For Con Dao district, to plan the development of housing projects to meet the needs of the people living and working in Con Dao district only, limiting excessive immigration to the island.

VII. PLANS ON SOCIAL INFRASTRUCTURE DEVELOPMENT

1. Plans on health infrastructure development

- To build and develop a complete and modern network of health establishments; to develop the provincial general hospital into a class-I hospital and a satellite hospital of central-level hospitals, forming a modern and high-quality medical network meeting the people’s healthcare and medical examination and treatment needs; to furnish equipment for general hospitals for them to meet class-I hospital standards, the provincial specialized hospitals to meet class-II hospital standards, and district health centers to meet class-II or class-III health center standards; to build or renovate and upgrade all health stations in communes, wards and towns up to national standards in terms of physical foundations.

- To attract social resources for investment in the health sector, especially investment in building new private hospitals that are modern and of high quality; to promote investment in nursing centers, cosmetic surgery centers and high-quality non-public medical establishments.

(Details are provided in Appendix XIII to this Decision).

2. Plans on development of education and training infrastructure facilities

To build or upgrade the system of general education schools and early childhood schools to be solid and modern and meet standards on physical foundations and equipment and the people’s needs; to promote and attract investment in non-public education and training institutions; to arrange schools appropriate to the population size and number of students in each geographical area, ensuring a reasonable service radius.

(Details are provided in Appendix XIV to this Decision).

3. Plans on development of infrastructure facilities of vocational education institutions

- To invest in physical foundations for district-level continuing education centers, meeting standardization and synchronization requirements to effectively perform functions of continuing education and vocational education in the province; to promote the development of specialized educational institutions for people with disabilities and support centers for the development of inclusive education.

- To upgrade the Medical Intermediate School into a Medical College; to develop the Tourism College into an institution training high-quality tourism human resources; to develop Ba Ria-Vung Tau College of Technology to be capable of performing the function of a regional-level high-quality vocational training and practice center, approaching the level of the ASEAN and G20 countries so as to meet requirements of human resources for key economic sectors of the province; to develop Ba Ria-Vung Tau University into a domestically and internationally prestigious applied science university up to the ASEAN University Network Quality Assurance standards; to develop the PetroVietnam University (PVU) into one of prestigious petroleum universities in Southeast Asia and Asia by 2035. To establish a branch of Ho Chi Minh City University of Education in Ba Ria-Vung Tau province on the basis of Ba Ria-Vung Tau College of Education in conformity with the Master Plan on the network of higher education and pedagogical institutions for the 2021-2030 period, with a vision toward 2050, after it is approved by a competent authority.

- To add functional areas for education and training to master plans on new urban centers in Vung Tau and Ba Ria cities and Long Dien district to attract domestic and foreign investment in high-quality education and training institutions.

4. Plans on development of cultural and sports infrastructure facilities

- To improve provincial-level cultural and sports institutions; to upgrade district- and commune-level cultural and sports institutions up to standards; to invest in infrastructure facilities of libraries to ensure digital connection of district-level libraries with provincial-level libraries and the national library system.

- To invest in large-scale and modern cultural and sports works (sports complexes, stadiums, gymnasiums, etc.) that are qualified for hosting sports tournaments and cultural and artistic performances, and national and international sports tournaments and cultural programs, associated with tourism and tourism support activities.

(Details are provided in Appendix XV to this Decision).

5. Plans on development of commercial infrastructure facilities

- To develop modern commercial infrastructure facilities (trade centers, department stores and convenience stores) in urban centers; to build grade-II and grade-III trade centers in Vung Tau and Ba Ria cities and the new city of Phu My and build department stores of different types suitable to the population size. For grade-IV and grade-V urban centers, to build class-III trade centers to meet urban residents’ needs.

- To build or upgrade, renovate and expand grade-I markets, wholesale markets, and agricultural and seafood product markets in Vung Tau, Ba Ria and Phu My urban centers and some central areas of districts; to upgrade and build grade-II and grade-III markets to serve the people’s life and meet environmental protection and fire prevention and fighting requirements; to develop night markets to serve tourism in Vung Tau, Ba Ria, Long Hai, Ho Tram and Binh Chau urban centers.

6. Plans on development of infrastructure facilities for social protection activities

- To build a provincial social protection center in Chau Duc district; to invest in a number of high-quality facilities to care for the elderly in Long Dien and Xuyen Moc districts; to expand houses for receiving people with meritorious services to the revolution in Con Dao district.

- To call for and attract investment in the construction of nursing homes to care for the elderly and other people entering there on a voluntary basis (to invest in the model of nursing homes in projects and tourist urban centers combined with tourism development).

- To renovate, repair and upgrade social protection establishments and drug addiction treatment facilities; to encourage organizations and individuals to build social assistance facilities and non-public drug addiction treatment facilities.

7. Plans on development of science and technology infrastructure

- To upgrade infrastructure facilities and equipment of science and technology organizations and scientific and technological advance application centers for them to perform science and technology research, transfer and application functions; to develop scientific and technological research and development facilities serving digital transformation.

- To form scientific research, training and technology transfer zones in areas reserved for urban development of Ba Ria and Vung Tau cities; to invest in the Marine Science and Technology Park in Vung Tau city; to build an innovation and startup support center and Con Dao technology transfer application station; to upgrade the Technical Center for Standards, Measurement and Quality; to attract investment in areas for experimentation and application of biotechnology to production, and hi-tech agricultural zones associated with agricultural production areas.

- To add functional areas for science and technology to master plans on urban areas in areas reserved for development of new urban centers in Vung Tau and Ba Ria cities and Long Dien district to attract investment in scientific research and technology application and transfer establishments, science and technology enterprises, etc.

VIII. LAND ALLOCATION AND ZONING, AND PLAN ON USE OF COASTAL WATER SURFACE AREAS

1. Land allocation and zoning

Land resources shall be fully surveyed, evaluated, inventoried, quantified and accounted in the economy and planned for efficient, rational, economical and sustainable use with a long-term vision, thus meeting requirements for socio-economic development, maintenance of national defense and security, development of education, culture and sports, environmental protection, and adaptation to climate change, and creating a driving force for the province’s development. To ensure reasonable distribution and use of land on the basis of balancing land-use demands of sectors and fields in conformity with the norms allocated under the Prime Minister-approved National Land-Use Master Plan for the 2021-2030 period, and the land use demand for the province’s development.

 (Details are provided Appendix XVI to this Decision).

2. Plan on use of coastal water surface areas

To plan the use of coastal water surface areas according to zoning criteria for the purposes of national defense and security; nature reserves, habitat conservation areas, biosphere reserves; development of marine economic sectors such as marine tourism, planned areas for port and port services; fishing grounds; aquaculture; areas for development of renewable energy resources; areas for oil, gas and mineral exploration; building of coastal industrial parks, and development of coastal urban centers, etc.

IX. PLANS ON CONSTRUCTION OF INTER-DISTRICT AREAS AND DISTRICT AREAS

1. Plan on construction of inter-district areas

In addition to Con Dao district which is geographically isolated, to plan 7 district-level administrative units in the mainland , which will be divided into 2 inter-district areas based on regional spatial structure, specifically as follows:

a/ The western inter-district area

- Scope: This area will embrace the existing administrative boundaries of Vung Tau and Ba Ria cities and Phu My town.

- Main characteristics: This area will be a large area for the province’s urban development, which is planned to be an inner-city area of Ba Ria-Vung Tau city. In this area, industry, seaports and diversified services will be developed, and the province’s administrative-political center will be located. This area will be the province’s economic, cultural, scientific and technical center.

b/ The eastern inter-district region

- Scope: This area will embrace the existing administrative boundaries of Xuyen Moc, Dat Do, Long Dien and Chau Duc districts.

- Main characteristics: This area will be an area for tourism development and agricultural production focusing on ecological and organic agriculture. In this area, to develop a network of small-scale urban centers (mainly grade-V urban centers) as the development core of each sub-area, and build a new-style countryside with a complete and convenient infrastructure system, ensuring that the living conditions and quality of life in rural areas approach those in urban areas.

2. Plan on construction of district areas

To plan district regions in conformity with the province’s overall development orientations, specifically as follows:

a/ The Chau Doc district area

- Characteristics: This will be an area for agriculture, industry and service development.

- Development orientations: To focus on industry and service development in the western area of nation highway 56 to the adjacent area of Phu My town and Dong Nai province, promoting the driving-force role of an industry-urban-service complex along ring road 4 of Ho Chi Minh City. To focus on agricultural development, mainly perennial crops, in the eastern area of national highway 56.

- The core development areas will be Ngai Giao township and areas planned to be developed into new urban centers of Kim Long, Suoi Nghe and Cu Bi.

b/ The Xuyen Moc district area

- Characteristics: This will be an area for agriculture and tourism service development.

- Development orientations: To focus on tourism service development in the southern area of national highway 55 to the area adjacent to the East Sea, promoting the role of the driving-force axis for tourism services along provincial road 994; to develop agriculture and practice aquaculture in harmony with tourism development; to focus on agricultural development, mainly perennial crops, in the northern area of national highway 55.

- The core development areas will be Phuoc Buu, Binh Chau, Ho Tram and Hoa Binh townships.

c/ The Dat Do-Long Dien district area

- Characteristics: This will be an area for agriculture, industry, service and tourism development.

- Development orientations: To focus on industry and service development in the north area of national highway 55, and Dat Do I industrial park; to develop tourism services in the southern area of national highway 55 to the area adjacent to the East Sea, promoting the role of the driving-force axis for tourism services along route provincial road 994; to develop agriculture and practice aquaculture in harmony with tourism development.

- The core development areas will be Long Dien, Dat Do, Long Hai and Phuoc Hai townships.

d/ The Con Dao district area

- Characteristics: This will be a national cultural-historical and sea-island ecological tourist area of regional and international stature; a special national historical relic conservation area for recognizing and educating historical traditions; a national and international conservation area for diverse ecosystems, forests and seas; and have an important position in terms of national defense and security.

Development orientations: This area will be developed into a marine ecological urban center.

X. PLANS ON PROTECTION OF THE ENVIRONMENT; EXPLOITATION, USE AND PROTECTION OF RESOURCES AND BIODIVERSITY; AND PREVENTION AND CONTROL OF DISASTERS AND RESPONSE TO CLIMATE CHANGE

1. Plan on environmental protection and nature and biodiversity conservation in the province

a/ Environmental protection zoning

Pursuant to the provisions on environmental zoning in Article 22 of the Government’s Decree No. 08/2022/ND-CP of January 10, 2022, detailing a number of articles of the Law on Environmental Protection, and based on the current characteristics of its nature and administrative system, the province shall be zoned off for environmental protection into:

- Strictly protected areas, including inner-city areas of the new city of Phu My under the master plan on civil functional zones in the east of national highway 51, inner-city areas of Vung Tau and Ba Ria cities, the tourism-urban centers of Long Dien-Long Hai, Phuoc Hai, Ho Tram, Binh Chau and Con Dao; Song Ray, Da Den, Chau Pha, Suoi Nhum, An Hai, Quang Trung 1 and Quang Trung 2 reservoirs, and other reservoirs planned for use as water supply sources; Con Dao national park and Binh Chau-Phuoc Buu nature reserve; and class-1 protection zones of national- and provincial-level cultural and historical relics.

- Low-emission areas, including mangrove forests in the planned areas of protection forests in Cai Mep estuary and along Ganh Rai bay; Ngai Giao, Kim Long, Phuoc Buu, Hoa Binh and Dat Do townships; suburban areas of Vung Tau city, Ba Ria city, Phu My town, and Long Dien-Long Hai urban area; beaches from Vung Tau to Binh Chau (Xuyen Moc) and in Con Dao; concentrated aquaculture areas; protection corridors of surface water sources in rivers and streams flowing to reservoirs for use for domestic water supply in the province.

- Other areas, including planned areas of​​ non-civil functional zones of Vung Tau city and new city of Phu My; industrial parks, cottage industry zones, seaports and inland waterway ports; agro-ecological zones (paddy, vegetables), aquaculture zones, low-terrain rural areas along the eastern coast; agro-ecological zones (industrial crops), and high-terrain rural areas in the North.

(Details are provided in Appendix XVII to this Decision).

b/ Nature biodiversity and conservation

To attach importance to conserving the nature and biodiversity in important ecological landscapes and nature reserves, including:

- Ecological landscapes of mangrove forests as planned in estuaries and coastal areas of Thi Vai, Dinh, Rang and Ray river basins.

- Ecological landscapes and biodiversity of protection forests on rocky mountains in Dinh-Thi Vai mountain and Minh Dam mountain areas.

- Binh Chau-Phuoc Buu nature reserve.

- Con Dao national park.

c/ Monitoring of environmental quality

By 2030, the province will have 185 environmental monitoring points, including 53 air environment monitoring points, 19 surface water environment monitoring points in key reservoirs; 67 surface water environment monitoring points in rivers and lakes; 28 coastal seawater environment monitoring points; 7 agricultural land environment monitoring points; and 11 sedimentary environment monitoring points.

d/ Sustainable development of special-use forests, protection forests and production forests and development of forestry infrastructure

To protect and sustainably develop special-use forests, protection forests and production forests according to the province’s allocated forest land area norm by 2030, which is 29,989 hectares, including 16,497 hectares of special-use forests, 9,850 hectares of ​​protection forests, and 3,642 hectares of ​​production forests. To focus on improving the forest quality. To conserve, develop and improve the quality of biodiversity in Binh Chau-Phuoc Buu nature reserve and Con Dao national park.

2. Plan on protection, exploitation and use of natural resources

- Areas banned or temporarily banned from mineral activities and national mineral reserve areas must comply with current regulations on national mineral reserves.

- Plans on exploration, exploitation and use of minerals for use as common building materials in the province must comply with the sustainable development and green growth viewpoints; to make the full use of mine waste soil and rocks as leveling materials for urban infrastructure development projects.

(Details are provided in Appendix XVIII to this Decision).

3. Plan on exploitation, use and protection of water resources and prevention, control and remediation of consequences of water-caused harms

a/ Allocation of water resources

Based on the water use demand through 2030, the plan on exploitation and use of water resources is as follows:

- In normal conditions, water resources shall be allocated in the following order of priority: (1) water for domestic use; (2) water for tourism and services; (3) water for industrial activities; (4) water for agriculture and fisheries; (5) water for transportation and construction activities; and (6) water for other sectors.

- In case of drought or water shortage, the order of priority remains the same as in normal conditions; however, the demand of each sector must be reduced to mitigate damage and, at the same time, rebalance the existing water sources and the lacking ones.

b/ Protection of water resources

- Water for domestic use and economic, social and environmental activities in the province is mainly surface water from a system of irrigation lakes with a total capacity of about 308.3 million m³, capable of irrigating some 19,500 hectares of agricultural land and supplying about 1.1 million m³ for domestic use, services, industrial activities and domestic use reserve. For groundwater sources, which have a total exploitable reserve of 70,000m³/24 hours and are currently exploited at the scale of about 15,000m³/24 hours, the scale of exploitation will be gradually reduced, striving to exploit groundwater only in areas where it is impossible to supply water from surface water sources.

- To implement solutions to strictly protect lakes which are domestic water supply sources in the province, especially Da Den, Song Ray, Song Hoa, Suoi Cac, Nui Nhan, Chau Pha, Kim Long and Suoi Nhum lakes, etc.

- To formulate a map to zone off protection areas of reservoirs which are domestic water supply sources in the province and surface water and sediment monitoring networks of reservoirs; to supervise the exploitation and use of water resources in water withdrawal areas and reservoirs. To strictly comply with regulations on management of protection corridors of river and lake water sources; to strengthen public communication about water source protection.

c/ Prevention, control and remediation of consequences of water-caused harms

To implement structural solutions, including preventing saltwater intrusion and coastal erosion with a view to protecting national defense and security works, residential areas and agricultural production and cultivation areas; upgrading and building reservoirs in the province; and renovating and upgrading drainage networks in urban areas that are frequently inundated.

To implement non-structural solutions, including rationally exploiting and using coastal resources to ensure the stability of the coastal strip; and periodically monitoring and surveilling the developments of coastal erosion and estuary accretion in terms of their scope, intensity and direction of bank movement. To build a database composing of current state maps, forecast maps and warnings of the possibility of erosion and accretion of estuaries and coastal areas to serve erosion control; strengthening the protection and development of coastal protection forests; and developing livestock production models and changing crop varieties to adapt to abnormal changes of weather conditions.

4. Plan on prevention and control of disasters and response to climate change

a/ To carry out disaster risk zoning and identify areas prioritized for prevention and control for each type of disasters

- To carry out disaster risk zoning for adapting to the climate change scenarios of temperature change; precipitation change; sea ​​level rise; saltwater intrusion; and drought.

- To carry out disaster risk zoning by area, particularly by district, town and city (except Con Dao island district) for  drought, flood, inundation, storm, tropical depression, coastal erosion, saltwater intrusion, and typhoon, and by marine area and island (Con Dao island district) for tropical depression, storm, storm surge, typhoon, and coastal erosion.

b/ Plan on disaster risk management and climate change adaptation

- To develop plans on disaster prevention and control and search and rescue of sectors and localities; to be ready to perform search and rescue tasks as planned or at the request of the province’s People’s Committee and Steering Committee for Disaster Preparedness and Rescue.  

- To proactively prevent and control disasters, adapt to climate change, reduce loss of life and property of people and the State; to contribute to building a country capable of managing disaster risks; to build a community and society safe from disasters; to create conditions for sustainable socio-economic development, ensuring national defense and security.

XI. LIST OF PROJECTS PRIORITIZED FOR INVESTMENT

Based on orientations for development of key sectors and fields, to identify large and important projects that help create a driving force for growth and socio-economic development for investment and investment attraction, depending on the demand and capacity to balance and mobilize investment capital in each period.

(Details are provided in Appendix XIX to this Decision).

XII. SOLUTIONS AND RESOURCES FOR IMPLEMENTATION OF THE MASTER PLAN

1. Mobilization of investment capital

- To promote economic development to increase revenues and take measures to encourage savings and intensify investment in the production sector. To review and adjust the budget spending structure toward reducing recurrent expenditures and increasing development investment spending, prioritizing public investment spending for infrastructure development.

- To effectively exploit natural resources, land and public assets; to formulate and implement a number of policies to mobilize capital from land resources such as permitting land recovery according to land-use master plans and plans for ground clearance and creating clean land areas for auctioning of land use rights. To formulate and implement particular mechanisms and procedures to shorten the time for compensation, support, resettlement, land recovery and ground handover to implement important programs and projects on the list of projects prioritized for investment.

- To make focused investment; to concentrate capital for investment in developing infrastructure systems and important sectors and fields. To prioritize investment in works and projects having spillover effects and projects that meet essential demands for socio-economic development and national defense and security assurance.

- To boost administrative reform and create a favorable investment environment; to carry out public communication about the province’s potential and strengths; to build brands and improve product competitiveness; to create favorable conditions with regard to technical infrastructure and connection infrastructure to serve investors’ production and business activities; to implement policies to support enterprises regarding human resource training, provision of market information, etc. To boost investment, trade and tourism promotion; to boost the mobilization of social resources for development investment in the fields of health, education-training, culture, sports, science and technology, environmental protection, etc.

2. Mobilization of land resources

- To improve the land information and database system; to ensure management, operation, connection and sharing of information in a centralized manner; to build a system of real estate market information combined with land information, associated with implementation of digital transformation in the field of land management and use.

- To prepare clean land areas and production sites in industrial parks and industrial-urban-service zones to be ready to attract investment projects for industrial development under relevant master plans. To develop the market, boost the commercialization of land use rights, enhance land-use rights registration and apply market-based auctions of land use rights to ensure publicity and transparency. To increase inspection and supervision of, and promptly detect and resolutely recover projects that are behind schedule, commit violations, cause land waste, etc., in accordance with law.

- To improve the effect and effectiveness of land management and use, and bring into play the value of land resources to create motivation for development. To strengthen inspection, examination. supervision and handling of violations; to settle land-related disputes, complaints and denunciations; to tighten disciplines and order, and prevent and control corruption and negative practices. To continue to improve and enhance capacity of public service organizations in the land sector.

3. Development of human resources

- To continue to promote organizational restructuring and payroll streamlining; to build a constructive government; to train and improve the quality of cadres, civil servants and public employees of local administrations at all levels to ensure professionalism, expertise, foreign-language competency and public-duty ethics.

- To develop the labor market, and properly organize the operation of employment exchanges to connect workers and employers; to strengthen information provision and forecasting of labor supply and demand.

- To pay attention to properly implementing vocational training and job placement for laborers; to expand the network of high-quality non-public education institutions; to form schools under the mechanism of cooperation between the State and the private sector. To support and create favorable conditions for training institutions to cooperate with enterprises and encourage enterprises to participate in formulating training programs and contents and directly training and employing human resources. To provide training based on social needs. To attract labor forces outside the province as demanded, especially in the transportation, logistics, trade, and tourism sectors.

4. Environment, science and technology

- To fully comply with national standards and technical regulations on environmental management; to develop and apply models of the circular economy, cleaner production, and efficient use of energy and natural resources, etc., in development of sectors and fields in the province. To step up inter-provincial cooperation with neighboring localities in environmental protection, especially marine environmental protection, forest protection, biodiversity protection and pollution treatment in adjacent and shared areas; at the same time, to intensify international cooperation and develop science and technology on environmental protection.

- To encourage and promote the application of science and technology achievements, especially information technology, in production and life, operations of Party and state agencies and mass organizations in the political system; to build a digital government and smart cities.

5. Development linkage mechanisms and policies

a/ Regarding international cooperation

To proactively and actively enter into international integration; to strengthen external information work, focusing on promoting the image of the land and people of Ba Ria-Vung Tau, as well as the province’s potential and advantages. To effectively implement in the province international commitments and free trade agreements which the Vietnamese State has signed. To strengthen cooperation and friendship relations with localities of other countries under cooperation agreements which the province has signed; to continue to sign more agreements to establish cooperative relations between the province and provinces and cities with similar conditions or different comparative advantages in other countries around the world to promote investment, trade, tourism, etc. To provide training and knowledge fostering, disseminate information to, and improve international integration capacity for, enterprises and people.

b/ Regarding regional cooperation and linkages

To strengthen cooperation and linkages with provinces and cities in the Southeast region and neighboring localities in the following major fields: development of infrastructure for regional connection; formation of industrial-urban-service belts; industrial, agricultural and fishery development; trade and investment promotion; scientific research and technology transfer; human resource development, including training and employment; health, medical examination and treatment, and medical research; provision of information and building of a socio-economic database to serve the forecasting work, investment attraction and development coordination; environmental protection and sustainable development; formulation of inter-provincial and inter-regional tourism programs and routes; and public security and order assurance.

6. Management and control of urban and rural development

- To build a geographic information system (GIS) to serve spatial management of socio-economic and urban-rural activities.

- To properly perform the state management of planning, allocation and use of land resources through integrating and including plans on spatial arrangement of socio-economic activities into land use plans, managing land in a transparent and effective manner in accordance with law and based on applying principles of the market economy in land use, allocation and transfer.

7. Organization and supervision of the implementation of the Master Plan

- To publicize the Master Plan and information on planning areas for spatial arrangement of socio-economic activities; and sectors, fields and territories prioritized and encouraged for development.

- To review, adjust and supplement urban master plans, rural master plans, and district-level land-use master plans in the province in accordance with the planning law to ensure synchronization and consistency with the Master Plan. To review, adjust and supplement socio-economic development programs and plans to ensure compliance with the Master Plan and market demands; to concretize the contents of the Master Plan into 5-year and annual plans and socio-economic development programs and working programs of Party Committees and authorities at grassroots level.

- To strengthen the inspection and supervision of the implementation of the Master Plan at all levels and sectors; to promptly detect and handle or propose competent authorities to handle violations to improve the effect and effectiveness of relevant master plans.

XII. DIAGRAMS AND MAPS OF THE MASTER PLAN

A list of diagrams and maps of the Master Plan is provided in Appendix XX to this Decision.

Article 2. Organization of implementation

1. The Master Plan shall serve as a basis for the formulation of urban and rural master plans, district-level land-use master plans, and technical and specialized master plans of the province in accordance with law.

2. The People’s Committee of Ba Ria-Vung Tau province shall:

a/ Announce and publicize the Master Plan in accordance with the planning law;

b/ Review and improve diagrams and maps, databases and dossier of the Master Plan to ensure its consistency with the contents of this Decision; be held responsible for the accuracy of the figures, documents, diagrams and maps and databases in the dossier of the Master Plan;

c/ Formulate and submit for promulgation the Plan on implementation of the Master Plan; organize the implementation of the Master Plan in association with directing the implementation of socio-economic development tasks in the province; periodically organize the evaluation of implementation of the Master Plan and review for adjustment of the Master Plan in accordance with law; and study for application of information technology in management of the Master Plan;

d/ Study, formulate and promulgate according to its competence, or submit to competent authorities for promulgation, mechanisms, policies and solutions to attract investment and ensure financial resources, social security, national defense, security, human resource development, science and technology, and environmental protection for the realization of the objectives, tasks and orientations set in the Master Plan;

dd/ Organize the formulation and adjustment of urban master plans, rural master plans and technical and specialized master plans to ensure their consistency and synchronism with the Master Plan; intensify the examination and inspection of the implementation of master plans; and strictly handle violators in accordance with law;

e/ Organize the review of the Master Plan after national- and regional-level master plans are decided or approved by competent authorities and carry out procedures for making adjustments to the Master Plan in case it contains provisions that are contrary to those of higher-level master plans under Point c, Clause 1, Article 2 of the National Assembly’s Resolution No. 61/2022/QH15 of June 16, 2022, and relevant regulations, and report thereon to the Prime Minister for consideration and decision.

3. The approval of, or decision on, investment policy and implementation of investment projects in the province, including also projects not yet included in development plans of sectors, fields, functional zones, and technical and social infrastructure facilities, and the tentative list of projects prioritized for implementation promulgated together with this Decision must comply with Article 1 of this Decision and other master plans and their implementation plans (if any), ensuring the  compliance with relevant regulations on order, procedures and competence; and at the same time, the investment policy deciders shall be held responsible before law for their decisions.

In the course of studying and implementing a specific project, the agency competent to approve or decide on investment policy shall be held responsible before law for the determination of the location, area, scale, capacity and investment phasing of such project in conformity with the actual development requirements of the province in each period and in accordance with relevant laws.

Projects and works that are being reviewed and handled under inspection, examination, investigation or audit conclusions or related to enforcement of judgments (if any) shall only be carried out after the inspection, examination, investigation, audit conclusions or judgments (if any) are fully implemented and after they are approved by competent authorities under current regulations.

In case the province wishes to carry out projects phased out to be invested after 2030 to serve socio-economic development and can mobilize sufficient resources, the agencies assigned to assume the prime responsibility for implementation of such projects shall summarize and report such to competent authorities for the latter to approve ahead-of-schedule investment.

4. The Chairperson of the People’s Committee of Ba Ria-Vung Tau province shall be held responsible before law and inspection and examination agencies for the accuracy of contents, information, figures, documents, maps and databases in the dossier of the Master Plan; the province’s acceptance of, and explanations for, reviews and contributions of related ministries, sectors, localities, organizations and individuals as well as issues on which it reserves its opinions; appendices on plans on sectoral development, plans on development of functional zones and technical and social infrastructure, and the tentative list of projects prioritized for implementation in the planning period promulgated together with this Decision, ensuring the conformity, synchronism and consistency with relevant master plans; and properly implement commitments under Official Letter  No. 17258/UBND-VP of December 7, 2023, of the People’s Committee of Ba Ria-Vung Tau province, on acceptance of contributions and completion of the dossier of the Master Plan to be submitted for approval.

5. Related ministries and sectors shall, within the ambit of their functions and tasks, guide the People’s Committee of Ba Ria-Vung Tau province in the course of implementing the Master Plan; coordinate with the People’s Committee of Ba Ria-Vung Tau province in studying, formulating, and promulgating or proposing to competent authorities for promulgation, a number of mechanisms, policies and solutions, and in mobilizing and allocating resources to effectively implement the Master Plan.

Article 3. This Decision takes effect on the date of its signing.

Article 4. Ministers, heads of ministerial-level agencies, heads of government-attached agencies, and the Chairperson of the People’s Committee of Ba Ria-Vung Tau province shall implement this Decision.-

For the Prime Minister
Deputy Prime Minister
TRAN HONG HA

* The Appendices to this Decision are not translated.